"Rustin" is a little-known, underrated independent movie out of the South. Despite a few recognizable names it came and went quietly. I don't think it ever actually made it to a theatrical release. Despite not being my kind of movie, generally speaking, I rather like it.

 

When I tell you I recommend this movie you have to keep in mind that it’s partially because I’m in it. Yeah, so it’s only for about 3 seconds and my face is hidden behind a camcorder and Michael Papajohn’s arm, but it’s still my first real movie experience so I can’t help but be a little excited about it. Maybe I'm biased ever so slightly. Does that invalidate my views? Of course it does, but you should keep reading anyway.

 

When I pick a movie for family and friends I can usually make a decent guess at what is going to please the audience. I've had a hard time guessing who is going to like or dislike this one. Of the many to whom I've shown it some didn’t care for it at all once my part was done and others liked it enough to add to their own DVD collections, and I never would have guessed the reactions of those who took one side or the other. I'll do my best to give you a well-rounded view so that you can try to determine if this is going to be interesting or not to you.

 

The director and star is former football star Rick Johnson as Billy Stagen. He’s not very well known save for his football status, but he has been in Any Given Sunday and Jerry Maguire. Ashley Johnson (no relation) co-stars as Lee, his daughter. You may remember her from What Women Want and Growing Pains. Singer/actor Meatloaf has the supporting role of Coach T. Zachery Ty Bryan of Home Improvement and Carrie 2 fame also supports as high school football superstar Keith Gatlin. Dean Biasucci has the small but vital role of Todd. He doesn’t have many movie credits, but Colts fans may recognize him as their highest scoring placekicker which earned him the role of himself in Jerry Maguire. And finally, fans of the Rick and Bubba radio program based in Alabama will enjoy seeing them as bartenders.

 

Michael Papajohn, who plays the carjacker in Spider-Man as well as a handful of other roles in various movies, plays Trent and helped make the movie possible. He doesn't appear all that much in the movie, but since I mentioned being behind his arm I thought I should tell you who he is. If I had known who he was at the time I could have put my hand on his shoulder during that scene.

 

Rick has the most screen time. He falters in his performance at times, but overall he sells the character and plays off the emotional scenes admirably for a low-budget film during which he also had to focus on directing. I think he really owns the character and makes Billy into someone viewers feel like they know by the end of the movie.

 

Ashley probably does the best job of anyone and really makes me feel like Lee is a real person. Meatloaf is not necessarily at his best but still manages to own the character of Coach T. Zack lacks the most out of the big-name actors. I don't know, he just seems kind of bored with the role (he didn't seem enthusiastic on the set, either, unlike Rick and Meatloaf who were quite the crowd-pleasers – Meatloaf in particular was a delightful guy).

 

Dean does an outstanding job considering he has so little acting background. I found myself dwelling more on his character than I did any of the other supporting roles. There are a few other memorable performances from unknown actors whose names I can’t recall off hand. One is the character of Mel, the father of the abused black girl. His scene is one of the most touching in the whole movie, and the hurt he portrays may well put a lump in your throat. Only slightly less memorable is Cassandra, the abused black girl, herself. As far as I know this was her first performance outside her college drama team, but she seems to have enough talent to go far.

 

If there's a true weakness it might be in the writing. The scope of the story here is great, and the end result is moving; it’s an excellent concept, but you have to look past some predictability and weak exposition to appreciate it. Most people that have watched the movie with me figured out what was going to happen about halfway through. I suppose it loses some of its effect at that point, but a unique and twisting story was never the focus; it’s the characters, their lives, and the theme of letting yourself live life even when faced with difficult changes.

 

The story centers around Billy and his daughter Lee. He’s never met his daughter until now. She left home to track down her father and find out who he is. Unfortunately Billy turns out to be a basket case. Once a football star, a major injury ended his career. Still craving the admiration of a crowd he returned to his home town of Rustin, Alabama to become sheriff. The problem is he doesn’t do a very good job because he would rather please everyone all the time than risk making enemies by doing the right thing. He's desperate for attention, the wrong kind, and now, all of a sudden he has to be a father.

 

At first Billy wants to run from the problem like he always does, but he also wants his daughter to like him because he needs that validation… like he always does. He’s torn, but the more time he spends with Lee the more she pricks his heart and his morality. Despite his changing mindset Billy begins reaping the diseased crop he has allowed to grow. When accusations of rape arise in connection with the rising football star, Keith, Sheriff Billy is more concerned about keeping the sports-loving community happy than he is with seeking justice. His decisions will forever scar his family.

 

There are some heavy, dramatic moments in there when it comes to finding out about the rape accusations and the trauma that Billy could have stopped if he had done his job. The story as a whole is not as heavy as all that and in the end is more about hope than the oppression of hard times. The drama adds conflict that keeps the story interesting and makes the positive aspects more poignant. It's not at all a tense thrill-ride, though, and if you don't get invested in the characters the pace may feel very slow.

 

I mentioned a little about Todd being interesting. He’s the Dudly Doright of the police force. He’s by the book, Mr. Righteous, do-your-job-or-leave kind of guy. He’s also next in line for the top position, Billy’s position. So how much of what he does, including getting Billy into trouble, is out of righteous duty and how much is jealousy and desire for Billy’s job? I won’t tell you, but his actions prove the nature of his heart and do so in a way that I think by itself adds a whole new layer to the story. As I said earlier, not all the scenes are written well enough to bring out the full power of the emotions involved, but Todd and Billy’s final confrontation got to me.

 

Some have said that the characters are too stereotypical to be enjoyable. I don’t completely disagree, however I think there is enough development especially with Billy and to a lesser degree with Lee to keep them from feeling off the shelf. Coach T. is more singular. Someone called him “the coach that doesn’t care about football” like it’s the most common characterization ever. Maybe his motivations are not revealed as clearly as they could be, but he’s just trying to be successful. Maybe he’s going about it in a hypocritical or even underhanded way, but it’s not so much that he doesn’t care about football, I think he still loves it, he’s just sick of high school football and dreams of moving up to college level. Stereotypical? I suppose, but his motivations and dreams are completely realistic.

 

Keith doesn’t get enough screen time to make him into a complex character; he’s just a horny brat who thinks he can take whatever he wants without fear of retribution which doesn't seem too far off from the attitude a lot of kids have. If this were his story I’m sure we would see what made him into this walking slab of uncontrolled hormones and the effects getting his sorry butt thrown into juvenile hall would have on him. As it is we just know that he can't keep his pants up and doesn't mind using force to get what he wants.

 

Moving on along our list of characters, I couldn’t disagree more about Billy being stereotypical. How many movie sheriffs that you can think of are fame-starved, injured, ex-star football players? Maybe I just haven’t seen those movies. Besides, that idea is drawn from Rick Johnson’s personal experience as a star player who left because of injuries. Someone called him the typical “hardened cop.” Hardened cop? Really? Did you watch the same movie I did?

 

Todd looks at first to be stereotypical, but later actions prove him to be more complex if anyone has stayed with the movie long enough to see it. We could go on and on about all this, but a case can be made for virtually every character in cinema history to be stereotypical in some way if you get in the mindset to see it that way.

 

I think the movie is predictable because it reflects life, and viewers can realize how this type of person will react in this type of situation or what the consequences of life decisions are likely to be. By the same token, however, I think improved writing could have kept the audience from getting ahead of the story which is what I think kills the experience for many viewers.

 

At least one review I’ve read has expressed distaste at the way the South is portrayed as obsessed with football. It’s an element just like the sex or the police work. Rick draws a lot from football because that’s what he knows, it’s understandable, but this is no more a football movie because it deals with people that play or coach the game than it is a porn because people engage in sexual activity or a detective flick because it involves police investigations. Many towns in the South ARE obsessed with sports. Friday night high school games were a big deal in my hometown. However, I find the focus here is less about a town's obsession and more about a man whose past keeps him in direct contact with the individuals who are obsessed and who has a desperate desire for acceptance at any cost.

 

I guess you can tell that I find some of the other reviews out there unduly harsh. I think highly of this movie, and I respect its themes. I appreciate its hopeful message when it could have been a movie about tragedy with Billy or Lee or both giving up on life and eating a bullet, or with one of the people wronged by evil actions scheming for violent vengeance. It's not ideal when it comes to pace or exposition, but it has a lot of heart on thought-provoking issues.